ZEF / WISDOM Master Class

From September 14th – 15th, 2009 the Center for Development Research (ZEF), organised a two days master class at its premises in Bonn. The main objective of the Master Class was to extensively discuss ZEF’s research results and promote junior researchers in their data analysis and writing process.

Papers presented covered the whole range of ZEF’s research agenda within the WISDOM project and dealt with the following topics:

• Managing Scientific Knowledge in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta: The Ambivalent Role of International Science and Technology Cooperation (presented by Tatjana Bauer)
• Capturing Bureaucratic Evolution in Contemporary Vietnam – Case Studies from the Mekong Delta (presented by Simon Benedikter)
• Local Knowledge and Ecological Adaptation: Customs of Living in Cultural Settlements at Cai Son Channel (presented by Judith Ehlert)
• Adaptation of Community to Dyke System: A Case Study in Thang Thang Commune, Vinh Thanh District, Can Tho City, Vietnam (presented by Huu Pham Cong)
• Water Supply Policy in Vietnam and the Role of Donors (presented by Nadine Reis)

With the strong contribution of two external Vietnam experts, all presenters received substantial feedback and lively discussions were held.

In the second part of the programme, Dr Martin Gainsborough, a specialist on South East Asia's politics and political economy from the University of Bristol, gave a public lecture on “Vietnam: An Approach to (studying) Politics”.

The lecture was attended by more than 50 representatives of a variety of institutions, including the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), WISDOM partner organisations, academic and development agencies and the media. The lively discussion was followed by a networking activity which provided opportunities for exploring linkages between researcher’s and development practitioner’s work in Vietnam. 

Participants unanimously agreed that the Master Class has been a success; a representative of a Vietnamese partner organisation underlined that she was deeply impressed by the open discussion and learning process during the two days and that she would like to explore opportunities to organise similar events within her own research institute in Southern Vietnam.